The UVic Libraries consist of the main library (The McPherson) in the William C. Mearns Centre for Learning, the Diana M. Priestly Law Library, and the Curriculum Library (3D-Campus-Map.pdf) all of which provide access for faculty, graduates, and undergraduates to academic resources including books, journals, data, audio-visual materials, as well as in-person help. In addition, access to the libraries e-resources such as databases, e-journals, and account information (loan renewal, etc.) can be found off-campus and online at http://library.uvic.ca/. At anytime, the librarians or the help pages on the libraries’ website can provide assistance in finding any materials or in-depth directions on using the libraries many services and tools.
Getting Started
The UVic libraries provide a number of tools to effectively aid research; however, it can be daunting figuring out where to begin. Research at UVic can be divided into two categories: general and specific. The general search tools include the simple search online queries such as “Summon” or Google. The more specific search tools include
specific databases
call numbers
subject headings, guides, and librarians
an assignment calculator
citation managers
help setting up rss feeds and alerts
With both general and specific searches, material from other institutions can appear in the search results (if the “add results beyond your libraries collection" box is checked) and be reached through the interlibrary loan system either online or with the help of a librarian.
Whether it is faculty research, undergraduate research, graduate research, or just a curiosity, Google Scholar and Summon are good starting points for any broad academic inquiries. Their strength lies in the use of simple searches relying on key terms and algorithms to scan the vast amount of cataloged items in any format, from any source, in any location. These tools are great for finding the breadth of subject by collecting all the information within the defined search limits; however, while these tools provide filters to narrow down the search, the sheer amount of information can make it difficult to pick out items that might contribute to a project. With that said, most research librarians suggest beginning with either Summon or Google Scholar when embarking on a research project just to find the scope and all possible dimensions a subject might have. As well, these tools provide researchers with at hand information regarding location and availability.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is arguably the broadest possible search tool for academic resources as it covers a variety of disciplines and formats from all over the world: from articles, theses, and books to abstracts and court opinions. All these sources come from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar definitely has the simplest interface for searches as well as providing search related items, a citation manager, email alerts, and the ability to locate the document at your institution's library. Google Scholar claims it ranks "documents the way researchers do, weighing the full text of each document, where it was published, who it was written by, as well as how often and how recently it has been cited in other scholarly literature." Because the search collects so many documents, Google Scholar offers an advanced search that narrows down the search parameters. It can be difficult to find but it's located in the search box as the little arrow:
Google Scholar's advanced search lets the user specify by the words in the titles or anywhere in the article through exact phrases or key terms. More importantly it lets the user narrow down the journals the article was published in, the years a source was published, and by the author.
Of the various other tools the ability to locate an item at your institution is perhaps the best. To do this through UVic the user must go to the libraries website and under the articles tab click on Google Scholar.
It will then prompt the user to log in with their Netlink ID. On the search results page, Google Scholar will add text to the right of the entry that says "Get this@UVic"
The email alerts are useful in keeping up with any published information but they can definitely clutter up an email inbox quickly. To add an email alert click the "Create Alert" mail icon at the bottom of the left hand column. It will email to the address you specify when any new entries are added to your search query. The citation manager benefits from its integration with Google but there are numerous citation managers that either work as applications or like Refworks are already integrated with the university's systems.
Summon
Summon is more specific to UVic libraries than Google Scholar and as a result, it is more helpful if your looking for books, newspaper articles, dissertations, videos, maps, manuscripts, collections, music scores and more. Unless you check the “add results beyond your libraries collection" all entries can be found at the libraries so Summon helps you get immediate access to these resources. It works similarly to Google Scholar in that all the databases, collections, archives, and catalogs can be searched within one search query. As mentioned before, Summon can provide an overwhelming amount of information; however, most researchers find exactly what they are looking for through the use of a refined search. Summon can also be accessed through mobile devices for convenience.
Using Summon
Summon can be accessed directly through the search tab on the home page of the UVic libraries. It can be separated into a basic search, refined search, or advanced search. The basic search broadens the search terms and then the results can be refined through the various tools in the left hand column. Search terms can be tricky so when using Summon remember that quotes look for an exact phrase. For example, a search for "John of Salisbury" looks for that exact phrase. There are also the Boolean operators that use OR, AND, and NOT. These operators must be in CAPS so that they are not included in the search terms (tip: never use "and," "or," or "not" in simple searches). "OR" looks for either terms. For example, "chocolate OR milk" will look for either items with either chocolate or milk. "AND" looks for a combination of both terms (chocolate AND milk would bring up items with both words). "NOT" eliminates the following search term. "Burgers NOT McDonald's" would eliminate any items with McDonald's in them. Wildcards or variants can be used in Summon search terms through the question mark ("?") and the asterisk ("*"). The question mark indicates variable letters: for example, Ols?n will yield Olsen, Olsan, Olson, etc. The asterisk includes the characters with variant spellings: for example, canad* will yield Canada, Canadians, Canadiens, etc.
After figuring out the search terms, the basic search results can be refined through the tools in the left hand column. The items can be refined through their type:
Items with full text online
Limit to articles from scholarly publications, including peer-review
Limit to articles from peer-reviewed publications
Exclude Newspaper Articles
Items in the library catalog
Add results beyond your library's collection
or they can be refined through content type, subject terms, publication date, library location, and location.
The more experienced research might know exactly what type of material they are looking for. At this stage an advanced search can be helpful. Advanced search uses the same tools as refining the search but uses them before searching. It's more useful to the experienced researcher in finding out if UVic has access to a specific collection, journal, etc. For example, a researcher might limit the search terms to only look in UVic's archives or special collections.
The librarian researchers recommend finding material through their subject type as it will lead the researcher into refining their subject while finding other material they might not have expected to find.
Items in Summon
Items in Summon can either be found in the library or online. Summon provides various ways in accessing online items. It will list the various databases that contain the article as well as providing citation exports to Refworks, links to interlibrary loans, and information on the journal through Ulrich's web.
Items in the library such as books have a similar summon interface but they also have a significant other number of features to help users find the item. Like the online articles, the book page has a tab for interlibrary loans but it also features the ability to text the call number to a mobile phone, or under the actions right-hand column, show the user where the book is located in the library. Also under the right-hand actions column is the ability to recall the book or save the citation in Refworks. A good way to explore the subject and perhaps find more sources including material that will help expand search terms.
This video demonstrates the use of Summon with the various search refinements, advanced searches, search terms, boolean operators, and citation managers.
Specific
The specific tools provided by the UVic libraries are meant to help researchers, who have an idea of their subject, conduct research efficiently and effectively. Opposed to Google Scholar and Summon, tools—such as the subject study guides—present researchers with databases that focus on specific subject content and help them avoid the hours spent combing through the overwhelming amount of search results provided by the aggregators. In addition, researchers both at the undergraduate level and beyond will want to make use of the citation managers and RSS feeds that will help them work more efficiently while collecting data from various sources.
The subject guides are put together by the subject librarians at the UVic libraries. They collect databases, articles, books and book reviews, encyclopedias and references, maps and atlases, statistics, web resources and primary resources, images, citation help and, most importantly, related guides. They are categorized by the guide (alphabetical order), subject, and the librarian who compiled it. They are useful to researchers because they provide the extra set of eyes that has already done half the work by sorting through the subject specific information. In addition, it puts the researcher in touch with a subject librarian that can help with any queries and research that might come up.
The subject guides can be reached from multiple links scattered throughout the UVic libraries website but the most direct can be found on the "Research Help" page as the first link in the left-hand column.
Databases
A significant asset provided by the subject guides are their list of subject databases. There are quite a number of databases and they range from broad to very specific disciplines. The most frequently used include JSTOR, Academic Search Complete (EBSCO), even the Oxford English Dictionary and while these databases are good for peer-reviewed sources, Summon or Google Scholar perform similar functions. The subject specific databases listed by the subject guides add an extra level of scrutiny; these databases also allow for searches based on the content of the abstract. This function increases sufficiency because it provides the context the search terms are found in. See Searching Academic Databases for more info.
Refworks and Citation Managers
Refworks is an internet-based citation manager that the university has bought a campus-wide license for. As such, it integrates better than other citation managers like Zotero; however the university is working on adapting their system to work with more general citation managers like Zotero. Refworks has the advantage of connecting directly to the reference databases like EBSCO and retrieving the exact information provided by the journals. Refworks allows users to create, manage, and store citations from remote databases as well as creating bibliographies in over 100 style formats; however, Refworks requires a UVic email account. It can be reached through the Research Help page under "Citation Help" in the left-hand column.
RSS Feeds and Alerts
UVic libraries make use of the alerts and readers provided by Google. They allow researchers to subscribe to webpages, blogs, etc. which then send updates or alerts to their Google account when their new information or posts have been made. This method cuts down research time significantly because updates are sent to one place for researchers to find rather than checking through various bookmarked sites. The library has provided a video explaining the advantages of this research method and how to set up a RSS Feed.
Help
Contacting the librarians for any help is probably the greatest step a researcher can take to resolve any confusion and speed up access to the materials. Librarians can be found at the front help desk in the main lobby or at the research help desk also in the main lobby. For users not on campus, the UVic libraries have many ways to get in contact with the librarians. Librarians can be reached through text, online chat, email or phone. The libraries' "Ask Us!" page gives instructions make use of all these features as well as a list of contact information for all subject librarians. In addition to librarian help, the UVic Libraries have created a series of video tutorials to help faculty and students explore the libraries and its tools.
While all these tools are helpful in finding resources efficiently sometimes browsing through the book shelves yields surprising for results. Sometimes these unexpected finds help broaden the search, so grab a call number and look at the books in your subject area! Another helpful tool provided by the UVic Libraries is the "Research Calculator." While not a serious tool, it is helpful to get a visual set of instructions that you will help with the process and get it started. It can be found under "Research Help" in the left-hand column in "Research Tips."
Searching the UVic Libraries
Table of Contents
Getting Started
The UVic libraries provide a number of tools to effectively aid research; however, it can be daunting figuring out where to begin. Research at UVic can be divided into two categories: general and specific. The general search tools include the simple search online queries such as “Summon” or Google. The more specific search tools include
With both general and specific searches, material from other institutions can appear in the search results (if the “add results beyond your libraries collection" box is checked) and be reached through the interlibrary loan system either online or with the help of a librarian.
General
Whether it is faculty research, undergraduate research, graduate research, or just a curiosity, Google Scholar and Summon are good starting points for any broad academic inquiries. Their strength lies in the use of simple searches relying on key terms and algorithms to scan the vast amount of cataloged items in any format, from any source, in any location. These tools are great for finding the breadth of subject by collecting all the information within the defined search limits; however, while these tools provide filters to narrow down the search, the sheer amount of information can make it difficult to pick out items that might contribute to a project. With that said, most research librarians suggest beginning with either Summon or Google Scholar when embarking on a research project just to find the scope and all possible dimensions a subject might have. As well, these tools provide researchers with at hand information regarding location and availability.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is arguably the broadest possible search tool for academic resources as it covers a variety of disciplines and formats from all over the world: from articles, theses, and books to abstracts and court opinions. All these sources come from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar definitely has the simplest interface for searches as well as providing search related items, a citation manager, email alerts, and the ability to locate the document at your institution's library. Google Scholar claims it ranks "documents the way researchers do, weighing the full text of each document, where it was published, who it was written by, as well as how often and how recently it has been cited in other scholarly literature." Because the search collects so many documents, Google Scholar offers an advanced search that narrows down the search parameters. It can be difficult to find but it's located in the search box as the little arrow:
Summon
Summon is more specific to UVic libraries than Google Scholar and as a result, it is more helpful if your looking for books, newspaper articles, dissertations, videos, maps, manuscripts, collections, music scores and more. Unless you check the “add results beyond your libraries collection" all entries can be found at the libraries so Summon helps you get immediate access to these resources. It works similarly to Google Scholar in that all the databases, collections, archives, and catalogs can be searched within one search query. As mentioned before, Summon can provide an overwhelming amount of information; however, most researchers find exactly what they are looking for through the use of a refined search. Summon can also be accessed through mobile devices for convenience.
Using Summon
Summon can be accessed directly through the search tab on the home page of the UVic libraries. It can be separated into a basic search, refined search, or advanced search. The basic search broadens the search terms and then the results can be refined through the various tools in the left hand column. Search terms can be tricky so when using Summon remember that quotes look for an exact phrase. For example, a search for "John of Salisbury" looks for that exact phrase. There are also the Boolean operators that use OR, AND, and NOT. These operators must be in CAPS so that they are not included in the search terms (tip: never use "and," "or," or "not" in simple searches). "OR" looks for either terms. For example, "chocolate OR milk" will look for either items with either chocolate or milk. "AND" looks for a combination of both terms (chocolate AND milk would bring up items with both words). "NOT" eliminates the following search term. "Burgers NOT McDonald's" would eliminate any items with McDonald's in them. Wildcards or variants can be used in Summon search terms through the question mark ("?") and the asterisk ("*"). The question mark indicates variable letters: for example, Ols?n will yield Olsen, Olsan, Olson, etc. The asterisk includes the characters with variant spellings: for example, canad* will yield Canada, Canadians, Canadiens, etc.
After figuring out the search terms, the basic search results can be refined through the tools in the left hand column. The items can be refined through their type:
The more experienced research might know exactly what type of material they are looking for. At this stage an advanced search can be helpful. Advanced search uses the same tools as refining the search but uses them before searching. It's more useful to the experienced researcher in finding out if UVic has access to a specific collection, journal, etc. For example, a researcher might limit the search terms to only look in UVic's archives or special collections.
The librarian researchers recommend finding material through their subject type as it will lead the researcher into refining their subject while finding other material they might not have expected to find.
Items in Summon
Items in Summon can either be found in the library or online. Summon provides various ways in accessing online items. It will list the various databases that contain the article as well as providing citation exports to Refworks, links to interlibrary loans, and information on the journal through Ulrich's web.
Items in the library such as books have a similar summon interface but they also have a significant other number of features to help users find the item. Like the online articles, the book page has a tab for interlibrary loans but it also features the ability to text the call number to a mobile phone, or under the actions right-hand column, show the user where the book is located in the library. Also under the right-hand actions column is the ability to recall the book or save the citation in Refworks. A good way to explore the subject and perhaps find more sources including material that will help expand search terms.
Specific
The specific tools provided by the UVic libraries are meant to help researchers, who have an idea of their subject, conduct research efficiently and effectively. Opposed to Google Scholar and Summon, tools—such as the subject study guides—present researchers with databases that focus on specific subject content and help them avoid the hours spent combing through the overwhelming amount of search results provided by the aggregators. In addition, researchers both at the undergraduate level and beyond will want to make use of the citation managers and RSS feeds that will help them work more efficiently while collecting data from various sources.Subject Guides
The subject guides can be reached from multiple links scattered throughout the UVic libraries website but the most direct can be found on the "Research Help" page as the first link in the left-hand column.
Databases
Refworks and Citation Managers
RSS Feeds and Alerts
Help
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Search Smarter, Not Harder
**__Navigating the Library__**
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Open Shelves and Assignment Calculator
External Links